


Roar Out the Word of Command

by HowShouldIKnowboutLife



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Dramatic, Happy Ending, and a fuckin bad ass one at that, krakens control the weather, never forget oscar is a bard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23186596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowShouldIKnowboutLife/pseuds/HowShouldIKnowboutLife
Summary: With half the party hiding or out of sight, and Zolf working to keep them afloat, it's up to Oscar to mount a defense against the sea monster attacking them.
Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming), implied
Comments: 8
Kudos: 84





	Roar Out the Word of Command

**Author's Note:**

> I just love the image of a bad ass Oscar okay?! can you blame me???
> 
> Title from the shanty "Blow the Man Down"
> 
> Anyways, lemmie know what you think! Enjoy ^_^

Oscar is singing sea shanties with all the power and magic behind them he can muster.

Singing on the roiling ocean as it batters their ship to pieces and he sings his throat hoarse trying to beat back the kraken beneath them.

Rain pelting him, salt scratching his throat – he’s swallowed more seawater than is likely healthy at this point but he won’t let that stop him. He is a highly trained bard, and a desperate one at that - _nothing_ will stop his magic from being heard and obeyed.

And as he sings a shanty that Zolf taught him months ago, Zolf can hear him even across the ship through the storm. Oscar’s one voice multiplied and layered to sound like a full crew - no a full fleet - singing as one. A voice loud enough to match the peals of thunder and the crash of waves around them.

The kraken breaches the water, a tentacle sweeping towards them and Oscar’s voice somehow gets louder as he pours every last bit of magic he has left into taking control of what he can see and either pushing it far away or terrifying it into running away.

Zolf can’t see the magic that must be spilling out from Oscar but as he rushes around to pull ropes and keep them upright and bail water he can see from quickly taken glances and motions in his periphery the tentacle juddering to a halt mere feet from smashing down on them.

Oscar stands right underneath it, gripping the bow and staring up at it as unerringly as he can through the torrent. And then, little by little, the tentacle pulls back. It’s jerky, clearly going against what the kraken wants, but it has little say in the matter right now. Oscar focuses on the inches of progress he saw and risks the time to take a breath before screaming the chorus at the mechanical beast.

Oscar can feel a vessel pop in his eye as he strains with everything he has, his legs locked in place, his knuckles white and his hands numb where they clutch divots into the wood and dig splinters he can’t feel into his hands. None of it matters.

The barest thought is spared for Zolf somewhere behind him - steering them as best he can, and Hamid down below with Azu trying to keep them both calm. Cel swam off when the kraken showed up and he hopes they're being safe enough as they attack the creature from the water.

But he doesn’t have time to worry for any of them as he sings through the rain, sings through the pain, and slowly, gradually, bit by bit, sings the kraken back into the ocean.

He doesn’t stop once the tentacle is underwater, he knows that’s where it thrives, he knows they still aren’t safe. Glaring at the water and the glints of metal below he sings to push the entire beast back.

Just as he feels his voice finally begin to go, not knowing if he's even succeeded, the ocean swells up in front of him.

He sees in the flashes of lightning against metal, the kraken flipping under the water, creating a swell much, much larger than their ship. Oscar loses air and can only watch, mouth open, horrified.

He feels Zolf grab him by the waist and tie them both tight to the ship as the wave overtakes them.

When they finally emerge, still floating, still upright by some miracle of the gods, they look out through the lessening downpour to see the retreating bulk of the fleeing kraken. With it goes the rain and soon enough the storm is over and Zolf and Oscar stand in sunshine on the soaked and flooded deck.

There’s a long minute of silence before a dolphin pops up out of the water and screeches at them. Zolf and Oscar startle back into themselves. Zolf pulls Cel up as Oscar sinks to his knees and finally releases his hold on the ship. They hear the trapdoor creak as Hamid and Azu peer out and cheer to see the threat gone.

Oscar smiles with the remaining energy he has left. There will be pain after this, as feeling returns to his body and he recovers from magical overexertion. He likely won’t be able to talk for a few days at least. It will be annoying and the others will hover over him like mother hens, but. He looks at everyone smiling in the bright sunshine. But that'll all be worth it for this.

**Author's Note:**

> OMG!! @areyouokaypanda made wonderful amazing fantastic fanart for this fic!! Definitely go check it out [here](https://areyouokaypanda.tumblr.com/post/612911200728236032/so-howshouldiknowboutlife-wrote-a-very-good-fic)! Its perfect!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Roar Out the Word of Command [podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23582773) by [KD reads (KDHeart)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KDHeart/pseuds/KD%20reads)




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